


Everybody Talks Back

by s6115



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-04-19 18:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14242827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s6115/pseuds/s6115
Summary: When Chase was a child, he made his father so mad that Victor burned off his soulmark. Now that he's older, he has to explain that while everyone was assuming he and Gert were soulmated, he's just destined to be alone.





	1. The one where Chase 'Uhm, Actually...'

Chase wanted a drink.

They were quite lucky, he realized. He could get away with this crap. He could either blame their murderous parents or the conversation around. A lot of people got stressed when soul mates were brought up; no one was going to stop him. He poured, with the same grace his mother had, the perfect line amount of scotch into the crystal cup. 

“Anyone else?” Chase offered. He held up the bottle and a spare cup, so it glistened with a chipper glee in the game room light. Karolina rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. She wasn't judgemental like that, but he knew not everyone approved.

“You’re the only one who drinks when someone brings this crap up,” Nico said.

“I doubt that,” Chase retorted with a small chuckle. He hopped down onto the couch, legs out and long as he took up a good two-thirds of the couch. Everyone had spread around, sitting by the fireplace or other chairs, leaving him with the space to lay around. “Bet Ryan drinks when people bring it up.”

“That’s not fair,” Nico glared. He cheered his cup in the air for a moment's honor and drank. Ryan was a nice guy, at least from what Chase could tell. And maybe it wasn’t fair, but no one could change that. 

Chase would change places with him in a heartbeat. Ryan, an average B student with no extracurriculars, nothing spectacular or outstanding going for him but not bad either. The guy at least had a story. At least he had someone, however short that was. Amy’s soulmark on his wrist was crossed out, and there was no changing that. He'd lost his soulmate in high school. 

“I hear Eiffel found her mark.” Karolina piped up. 

“Oh, really, where was it? On her ass?” Gert snorted. 

“Don’t be like that,” Chase chastized. “She’s excited about it. I think she was talking about it for all of Quantum Physics; I couldn't hear Mr. Bernstrum at all.”

"Do you ever even listen to that guy?" Alex said. Chase rolled his eyes.

“Of course she is,” Molly said. “And you should get it, Gert. I can’t think about dead people all the time.”

“What, I get it,” Gert said. Chase shook his head and sipped as the girl with purple hair continued to mock the dancer. He never wanted to listen to this crap. Gert continued, with a flippant tone, “I just pity whoever she’s tied to.”

“Gert,” Karolina insisted. “Don’t be like that.”

“Don’t be like what? She’s a bitch; she’s cruel.” Gert stood up and roamed behind Molly. He knew there was some defensive behind the words, he just never knew what.

“She’s the head of an award-winning team,” Chase pointed out. He rubbed his forehead and knew he’d have a headache if this continued. “A creative one, too, a lot of people wouldn’t mind that at all.”

“Oh-“

“Just cause you don’t remember getting your mark doesn’t mean you can’t get it,” Karolina said. She shrugged her shoulders, and there was a dreamy look about her as she cuddled her hands between her knees. Maybe it was something she had daydreamed about; Chase could only guess. In all the movies about kids their ages, there was some stupid conversation about 'the future' and how great it would be. Everything was perfect when two soulmates met in the movies, a guaranteed happy ending. “It’s exciting, you know? It’s like everything you were ever promised… I don’t know.” 

“You have a mark?” Nico asked. 

Karolina looked down, and Chase dropped his eyes. He had seen Karolina's mark, at least he had seen a glimpse of it. It seemed so private to him, that even she wouldn’t look at it. How could he when it seemed she didn't want to look at it herself? When it seemed she was ashamed of it? It wasn't fair, then again, none of this was. At least dad approved of her. The man almost smiled when Chase took pictures with her, posted with her family to the Church’s main page. They were photogenic; everyone could see that. 

“I’m just saying,” Karolina finally said, “you could be supportive. There's nothing wrong with being happy for someone. This whole thing is something to celebrate.”

“I’m supportive.” Gert crossed her arms.

“Not really,” Molly raised her eyebrows. She brushed a few curls back. “Are you jealous that she gets to celebrate when you were too young?"

"Molly-" Gert started.

"If Chase is fine with it why can’t you be? Eiffel isn’t that bad.” Molly just plowed on.

“Me? What do I have to do with it?” Chase dropped his feet from the couch to sit up straight. Molly blinked. Did he catch her off guard? Her smile had turned lopsided and awkward like his question was... off-putting. He couldn’t see how. “What do I have to do with Gert?” 

“I mean,” Molly started, but she seemed lost for words. “I mean... You know?” 

“No,” Chase said, “I don’t.” 

“Everyone knows,” Nico looked around, just as confused as Chase felt. Something stirred in the pit of his stomach. Worry? Maybe. Worried that there was something to be worried about. “Right?”

“I don’t,” Chase repeated. He felt _dumb,_ not a new feeling, but this was about him, wasn’t it? Something he should clearly know. 

“You and Gert,” Molly finally said. Chase raised an eyebrow and turned to Gert. The purple hair girl twisted her head away from him; her cheeks were dark. 

“What about Gert and me?” He asked. 

“You two are marked,” Nico laughed, the sound awkward and tense. Forced, like the only way to not freak out was to laugh. Chase wanted to laugh too, to keep the embarrassing building tension from rising any more. But somehow, he couldn't. The bubbling noise wouldn't leave his throat.

“Everyone knows that... Gert and I are marked…” 

“Yeah,” Molly’s voice cracked. 

Chase needed a drink. No… he didn’t, but he wanted one. Chase didn’t want to think about this. He didn't want to remember, but to skip over this entirely. He rubbed his forehead again, wanting to throw up. Every muscle was tense, ready to throw the words back but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to think it. 

Why couldn’t they have just kept talking about Eiffel? Did Gert really think…? Was he going to break her?

It was hard enough. But if Gert thought, all this time… 

“Chase?” 

“Everyone is wrong.” He stood up and walked behind the couch. He didn’t want to sink in the words. He didn’t want to stay there, wanted to think he could walk away from the words, their meaning. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t have Gert’s mark,” He dropped his hands to the back of the couch and hung his head. It felt like he was breaking something. He should be arrested for hurting something like this. What else could he say? There was nothing that could make this situation better.

“What are-“ Molly’s voice stopped. He wondered, so briefly, if she was close enough to offer Gert her hand.

Gert was strong, right? It’s not like she’d cry over this. She had to have someone else’s mark, and one day, everything for her would be better. He felt like he was breaking her heart over nothing. Maybe it was for the best, right? Get this over with. Get it done so they could move on. Who would want to be tied to someone like him? Who would want their soulmate to be someone so bad they lost their mark as a toddler?

He heard a small cough, from Molly’s general direction but it could have been Gert. She couldn’t be crying, right? Gert didn’t cry. 

Maybe it was wishful thinking. 

“Of course you have Gert’s mark,” Molly finally finished, but the disbelief hung from every word. Chase lifted his head, feeling tired already. 

“Why would you think I have Gert’s mark?”

“I.. I remember it,” Alex said. “I remember … something. I don’t know, but it was just something we always knew, isn’t it? Since we were little.”

“Yeah,” Nico agreed. “I remember someone talking about it. It just was, even Amy knew.”

“I don’t know who that was, but they were wrong.” Chase crossed his arms tight over his chest, restricting the shrug to millimeters. 

“Why don’t we just check?” Karolina suggested. He turned to her, pursing his lips. 

“Because I know, Karolina.” He said. “We don’t need to keep talking about it. I'm sorry, but that's it.”

“Look,” Gert stepped up. She filled the space, and when he looked at her, that was it. Her face was blank, which made him feel a bit better. A bit less bitter. At least her eyes weren’t puffy. “They’re not wrong either. We can just get this over with and-“

“Gert, I don’t have it,” He insisted. “Can we drop it?”

“How do you know?” Gert asked. “I don’t exactly show my mark off all the time, it’s-“

“Because I don’t have anyone’s mark.” Chase snapped, and the room snapped to quiet. No one said anything. He could feel eyes on him, a lot of them, but all he cared about was Gert’s gaze. Her jaw had dropped, and she stared. Chase felt useless and dumb; he shrugged his arms out in confusion. His eyes were wet as he stared back. “I’m sorry. I am. If you’ve really thought all this time… but I’m not.”

Gert’s hand hovered over her stomach, just to the side. Her mark, he knew, was hidden there on her tummy, tucked under her shirt where it was so comfortably private. Her hand stroked the special skin with a tremble. Had she done that before, daydreaming about everything he just smashed to pieces?

He didn’t have a mark there; he had a scar, smoothed over from the decade gone by.

“Everyone has-“ Molly started.

“I don’t,” He said. “Please. Can we stop?”

"Yeah," Molly finally said. "I guess."

Chase hadn't felt so dumb or useless in a while. He sat back down on the couch, the burning scar on his stomach ached with his every move. He wished he could have been better. Maybe things would have been different. He just wasted years of the purple haired girl's life- at least now that was over.


	2. The One Where Nico Asks Questions

Chase sketched out the diagram, moving small arrows around the paper to draw out Bernoulli’s Principle. It was simple enough, and if he bothered to pay attention, maybe he and Nico could get an A. A high A, which would be great for his average, but it was another issue entirely. 

“Can I ask you something?” Nico said. Chase looked up from their project and fought the urge to retort _you just did._

He could be sassy. Now wasn’t the time. “Depends.” 

“Are you like…” She waved her hand forward. 

“Am I like…” 

“I don’t know,” Nico said. “I just, I never heard of someone not having a soulmate, you know? And Karolina spent all night at Gert’s to…”

“It must have been rough,” Chase said and shook his head. “I get that. I didn’t know she thought all this time. And I just bashed that right in.” 

He looked back at his paperwork. He wondered if Gert was okay, but there wasn’t anything he could do. He was the cause of her problems, not the solution. He wondered if she looked at the future now and just saw nothing. He wondered if there was anything in the world that might fix it. He wondered if maybe, she just didn't care.

“I wouldn’t want to be in your place, either,” Nico said. He looked up in surprise. Gert had to be the one hurting now, not him. 

“I’m gonna get by, Nico,” He promised. “It’s just Gert who’s probably hurting now.”

“No, yeah, I know,” Nico promised. “But it probably sucks for you too, right? I can’t imagine just standing there and hearing that someone was fantasizing a whole life with you, and you’re just there.” 

His pen stopped spinning. Shit, was Gert doing that? She didn’t seem the type to fantasize. She seemed like a planner maybe, but that didn’t involve him. Did it involve him?

How many kids with him was she thinking about? Did she think about kids? Making tho- _stop it, stop it now._

It was his _stupid boy brain,_ already making a mess of something that already was blown up out of proportion. Kids were too _heteronormative._ If anything, Gert had probably spent what few times she cared to spend on him thinking about protests they’d go to or something. He was too much of an idiot for her. She had made that clear. Why would a girl like her who thought dates were too traditional to want that or anything more with him?

“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Chase looked back down, but the referendum for their project just blurred in his eyes. 

“And then there’s the whole, you know? The whole thing, how can you not have a soul mark?” 

“Lots of people don’t have soul mates, Nico,” He said and tried to write something down, to look like he was working at all. “I mean, just think of Ryan, right? He’s stuck without one now.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.” Nico insisted. “He and Amy were close when she died. I mean, there are support groups for guys like him. There’s like, official programs and everything. But you, shit, Chase. I didn’t know.”

“There’s nothing to know,” He shrugged. “I… I just keep going the way I am now, you know? That’s all.”

“But that’s… sad.”

Chase stopped, his brow furrowed deeply as her words carved in his ears. “It was.”

He sat back, giving up on their project for now. Or really, just at all. It was due by tomorrow, and it didn’t seem like they were going to get anything done. He exhaled, lips pursed as the air pushed out with his exhaustion. “But I was young. It’s not like I was waiting and waiting for a mark to show up where I had never seen. It was just this fact. I wasn’t good enough for a soulmate.’

Nico’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t name her expression. 

“But that’s okay. I’m good at being alone. Romantically, anyway,” He put on a smile. “I’m not like you guys, and I don’t need a soulmate to like myself. That’s going to come from me if it happens.” 

“Chase-“

“You should be worried about Gert,” He insisted. “We have a lot more on our plate then a mark, Nico. We need to make sure she’s okay to handle all this cause already I don’t think any of us are.”

“Okay,” Nico said with a quiet voice- at least as quiet as Nico ever was. Even like that, Nico made a statement. He just hoped that she was listening at the same time. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to having again and again.


	3. The One Where They Talk

“Please. No more bad news,” Karolina said. 

Chase had to agree. First, the blond could use her lights as a weapon. Then Molly could lift a car (and have a chill nap after), Nico had a freaking wand. And then they failed. They failed badly. And a kid was dead, again. 

“Video is being funneled to your parents’ company,” Alex said, facing Nico. 

“They’re storing it at Wizard Computers?”

“The most hacker resistant network on the planet? Yeah.” 

So, it was bad news. None of them were brilliant hackers, and Chase wasn’t sure if Alex even counted. Sure, he could do computer shit, but they were kids. They didn’t need to do this before. And Nico brushed it off, like getting it was getting a pair of shoes. He was finally getting something from his dad, any evidence could throw it all away, even if they could get it. 

“Maybe there’s an explanation,” Chase said. He looked around the room and saw horror, but Chase couldn’t think it was random. Their parents couldn’t be murdering, mass murdering, for shits and giggles. It couldn’t just be some power struggle or some game they played. This wasn’t Jigsaw. “They have to be doing all this for a reason, right? What if they have a good one?”

“A good reason to kill kids?”

“Chase, come on.”

“I know it doesn’t make any sense. But,” Chase hated how they looked at him. “I don’t know. I was with my dad before, and it just made me wonder. What if we’re missing something here?”

“Chase, can you honestly think of a single reason to justify their actions?” Alex said.

Chase went quiet. Maybe. Maybe it was some Cabin in the Woods kind of thing. Perhaps they wanted to do something good. But Alex already thought he was about as dumb as Gert did, he didn’t need to say anything more. 

Jigsaw and Cabin in the Woods were overrated anyway. 

The group began to dissolve; no one else wanted to say anything. Chase could see Molly yawning as she waited for Nico and Karolina to get their car ready, and Alex seemed bitter and resigned to go back to his room and wait. 

So Chase grabbed the Fistigons, and started pulling his things together. 

“Hey.”

He looked up from his bag. Gert had her hands stuffed in her back pocket; glasses pushed up to the dip of her nose. He smiled, “Hey.” 

“So,” She trailed her tone slowly down. Chase lifted an eyebrow; he wasn’t going to interrupt her silence. She came to him, right? “So. We haven’t talked recently.” 

“No,” He agreed. “But that’s fine. We don’t need to.” 

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Gert agreed. “We don’t need to. Especially with the whole-“

She waved her hand. Had he made her speechless? Chase smiled. “With the whole _not soulmates_ thing?”

“That.” Gert agreed. “So now we really don’t need to talk. I just thought we could clear the air. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah. It’s no big deal,” Chase said. 

“Yeah,” Gert said. 

A great absence stretched in between them. Chase nodded and glanced around at everywhere but her. “Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“I uh,’ Chase said. It had become clear that she wasn’t adding anything. Had she started this just to say it was all okay? “I guess it was good news anyway. Right?”

“What do you mean?” 

“You know. Not being tied to an idiot.” He shrugged, a small smile on his face as he tried to lighten the mood. “You’re all free now. To go after whoever.”

“I know,” Gert said, but her matching laugh was just bitter. “It was nice to have an answer. You know, even if that answer was you.”

Chase snored. “You never struck me as the type to need an answer. You’d come up with it on your own.” 

Gert smiled. She reached up and pulled a lock of shiny purple hair back behind her ear. “Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I guess as soon as I figure out how to do that, I will.”

Chase's smile grew and they started walking up the stone steps of the lair. The evil hidden lair, you know, hidden under Alex Wilder's house. That lair. "You'll take the whole thing by storm. I'm sure you'll be fine." 

"Oh, totally," Gert agreed. "I'm great. I am. What ah, what about you?"

"Me? I mean, nothing's really changed for me. There was the ..."

"Yeah, that," Gert cut him off. She lifted a hand as if to get his attention even though they were already talking. "I am sorry about that. I bet it was really weird to hear that... just all that." 

"Sure, it was weird. But we got past it. All that matters right now is the whole cult thing." 

"That's a good way to think about it," Gert said. The rest of the stairs were descended in quiet peace, as much peace as the pain stained lair could allow. Chase could care later, but for now, it was nice not to be alone. Everything else, they could worry about later at the top of the stairs.


	4. The One With the Van

Chase’s pushed at the fire. He had about half an idea what he was doing- stoking the fire or something like that. Steins weren’t exactly a camping family; they weren't outdoorsy. Not to mention, his dad’s respect for the Boy Scouts was about as high as his respect was for Chase. So _yeah,_ that didn’t last very long. At least he could figure out what it all was. Pushing at the bottom probably increased oxygen circulation into the soil and the rocks kept the fire from spreading. He looked up and eyed the smoke. Someone could get suspicious, but minus Molly, they could look like some looser high schoolers trying to hook up away from home. 

“How’s it going?” Molly asked. Her stick pile was big, and it dropped at her feet with a small clatter. There was no reason to keep a pile of sticks neat, was there. He chuckled as she slouched down to the ground, shadow long behind her. The rest of the nameless group slept in the truck, in a mass of hair and limbs tangled together. 

“Not bad,” He dropped his fire-stoker-stick-thing, and rested his hands on his knees. His fingers twined together as he eyed their little pit. Warm, sure, but it was California, so why did they bother to make it? Symbolic, maybe. They were ‘camping,’ might as well have a fire. Might as well learn, while a blizzard wasn’t likely, winter could get cold. His face was still, not wanting to upset Molly. He didn’t want to be upset. “I was no eagle scout, but hey, it’s burning.” 

“Yeah, me neither,” Molly chuckled. “It’s cool; we could make s’mores. I haven’t had s’mores in ages.” 

Chase smiled. They weren’t going to do that, not anytime soon. Chase wished they hadn’t gotten caught that night. At least then they could go home, he had an old music box stuffed with cash, a coin collection he randomly turned to bills. They could get more clothes, money, anything, if they had just had the time to go home _once more._ He kept his smile still. “S’mores would be cool. Who doesn’t like chocolate and marshmallows?”

“And graham crackers,” Molly added. Chase huffed a tiny laugh through his nose and reached forward to push the flames around. It felt kind of stupid and pointless, but it was nice to have something in his hands. He didn't feel quite so useless, even in the pathetic symbolic manner. He held the stick up and twisted it around. The tip of the wood was red and just a bit smokey. Cool. He was, like, a _man's man_ right now. Tom Cruise pre-crazy, or Buffalo Bill. “Do you think about tomorrow?”

He looked up from his stick, “Huh?”

“Tomorrow,” Molly repeated. “What are we going to do tomorrow? Today we left, we stocked up, and we got Karolina back. So, tomorrow?”

He shrugged. “I guess we’ll make a plan tomorrow. Or Alex will, and I’ll be half bitter about it.” 

“What kind of plan?”

“I don’t know,” Chase shook his head. “One that keeps more kids from dying. That’s what it’s all about, right?”

“Yeah.”

There were _dead children_ in the basement. These were kids he could have gone to school; they were the same age. These kids, no older than him, and they were underground because of mom and dad. Chase wasn’t sure he had even wrapped his mind around it. Like reciting something he memorized from school, Chase could say their parents killed them, but it had so little meaning. He didn't know it by heart; he could only say it. The weight wasn’t there yet. He should have been losing sleep for so much longer, so maybe it was a good thing to just know with his head and not his chest. Chase was more curious how much sleep his parents had lost over the literal skeletons in the closet. He was curious if he'd ever get the chance to really freak out about it all. The dead kids, the powers.

“What if Gert goes into withdrawal?” 

“Hm?”

“Withdrawal.” Molly insisted. “Her meds. You’re not supposed to just stop medications like that, what if she gets sick?”

Getting sick was just the start of Chase’s worries, but Molly was right. Gert would need the medicines, even if it was just to stop everyone else from getting annoyed and anxious from her anxieties. Gert wasn’t Gert if she was too busy chowing down on her nails, she should be bugging him about how much of an idiot he was, or how punching was wrong, or they were being too insulting to _whatever_ group might be mentioned. He was probably just thinking that wrong; she should be yelling at him for thinking that wrong.

“She’s not going to get sick,” Chase promised. 

“How do you know that?” Molly asked. “Are we going to steal her medicine or something? Stealing is wrong, are we thieves now?”

“No, we’re not going to steal it,’ Chase pushed. “At least not yet. We’re not that desperate yet.” 

“I’m desperate. She’s desperate, and I’m desperate for her.” 

“Hey, she’s got her dinosaur back. That’s got to help.” 

“It’s not an anxiety dog,” Molly narrowed her eyes. 

“Yeah, I noticed when it ate my gardenias.” Chase raised his eyebrows. He had like, one leaf left on his flower box. Probably was never going to get it back. “Why don’t you get some sleep, okay? You’ll feel better in the morning.” 

“That’s a lie.” 

“It’s a polite one,” Chase promised. “At least in the morning, Gert will be up, too.” 

Molly got up, and he could hear her mumbling all the way to the truck. She climbed in, and that was about it. Chase shook his head- they’d probably feel better with an extra set of clothes, something to divide the miserable day from the night or feel like they weren’t sleeping in their own filth. He started to kick out the fire, kicking dirt into the center of the pit and let the light die out. He knew the way back to Brentwood. It wasn’t that hard. It was a long walk, sure, but it wasn’t days on days. Molly was right; they needed Gert’s medicine. They needed underwear, and money, and food. Sunblock, toothpaste. Hairbrushes for the girls, blah blah blah. 

There was some stuff they could get at any gas station, but there were two very important facts that Chase could consider. Nico was right too; if it was him, they wouldn’t go back. And that was fine. He had handled their parents before, and he’d do it again. It was his fault they weren’t in jail already. 

The second fact? Gert’s parents were at least _nice._ His guesses paid off. By morning, he was little overheated, a little tired, but like a damn Peter Pan retelling, Gert’s window was open. The driveway was empty. 

It was a lot of effort to stay in the garden greenery from there, but he did know it could be a trick. With some careful wiggling, he could see the alarm system, embezzled with WizTech signatures on the front. Green. Chase tugged down his goggles and scanned. There wasn’t much to see, and the lines upon lines of cabinets and walls and furniture got confusing. One thing was clear- there were no skeletons to be seen. It was safe, at least for now. He gripped the edge of the Yorkes Home. He had no idea how to do this bit, and no way to be sure no one would see him. 

At the very least, he could try and get Gert her damn pills.


	5. The One Where Gert is Like a Snickers Commercial

Since Gert and Molly’s windows were open, it was relatively easy to get into the Yorke home. At least once Chase found his way in, it was easy. He rolled over the window sill with a small tumble and hit the floor on his side. Chase pressed his hand to the carpet, brown duster draping his legs as he listened. Nothing. He heard nothing. Chase figured if the Yorkes were in their lab he wouldn’t be able to hear them but at the same time, they wouldn’t be able to hear him, either. Plus there were no cars. It was quiet. Chase stood up and ran his hands over his thighs as he looked around. He hadn't been in Gert’s bedroom in a long time. Chase felt almost wrong standing there. It's not like she gave him permission to stand there and that was something he knew could upset her.

Right. So on multiple counts, the faster he was, the better off he’d be. He rubbed his hands together - where would Gert put her medicine? Probably where she took it. He looked over the top of her desk. Pictures if the family, with tidy wooden frames. She and Molly were pressing their cheeks together and grinning. The family of four at Disney World.

He picked up a frame - it was down, face down, and the only one with a colorful wood. Red with gold edging. He had to frown as he looked in.

It was a picture of Gert with long brown hair from over a year ago. Chase remembered it when the two of them had gone to the movies with Amy and her soulmate. Amy took it, tight after yelling something, he couldn't remember what. It made him squint his eyes and laugh as Gert threw her head back, mouth open and roaring.

Chase out the picture down and tried to fix it, to make it unnoticeable. It would be better if the Yorkes were left clueless that someone came here, but that was unlikely. The inevitable truth was they’d notice, either her missing pills or whatever else he took. What he’d like to avoid was them knowing immediately. As he fiddled with the position of the frame, Chase wondered about it. He had no idea how to feel about the photograph. That night had been fun. They're were what, fourteen? Fifteen? They hadn't been old enough for someone to tease them about double dates or soulmates. It was just a group of silly teenagers seeing a stupid movie. It was something he could never don't gain, and not just because Amy killed herself. Now it was complicated. Now they were older, and everything was messed up. Even if Amy was alive and they had never learned about the murder dungeon he couldn't do that again. People would talk and look at them. People would say things, and his dad would be pissed. Gert would be hurt, again, dragging up her mark and lack of his. Chase pressed a hand to his scar, wincing. Even considering it was probably a bad idea. If he was a better son, none of this would have happened. Gert wouldn't have a turned over picture on her desk and wouldn't be heartbroken. Hell, if he was better, he wouldn't even have a scar. He could have earned his soulmate back. But that wasn't in the cards.

No mark, no soulmate. He could still hear his dad practically chanting it.

There were no pill bottles on her first dresser. He got on his knees to check; maybe it had rolled under. He saw some headbands, and an old lense cleaning cloth, but no orange prescription bottle. Just dust. Chase sighed and stood up to check the next counter and found nothing. Just a textbook and pencil jar. He moved to her bedside table and pulled on the lamp’s chain. Okay. Lip balm, a bowl, maybe for her glasses, lenses cleaner. He reached for the drawer and stopped. Chase jolted his hands up to his shoulders to surrender- he could not look in her bedside drawer. No! Nope, no. As likely as it was that was where the pills were there, it was just as likely that the shit in there was PRIVATE. That type of private. He had to find somewhere else to look first.

Bathroom. Duh. Bathroom. Okay. Chase went to the door and pressed his ear to it. Nothing. He slipped out, knowing the Yorkes home enough to find his way to the sisters’ shared bathroom. One sink, with some stickers covering the mirror on Molly’s side. 

Yes. There, perfectly aligned on the counter were two full bottles. Gert’s parents must have called in an extra, just waiting for her to get them. He shoved the bottles in his pockets and began rummaging through the counters for things they’d need. Brushes. Toothpaste. Oh shit, toilet paper-

Did he just think oh shit over toilet paper? It wasn’t even the fancy kind his parents got, just some standard Charmin. 

Whatever. Chase took the package and began to look around. He’d need a bag. If he was stealing some good ole TP from the Yorkes, at this point, he might as well go all in and steal a bag too. Part of him felt bad about it, but then he remembered Destiny. And he could bet Gert- and the others, too, of course- would appreciate having this while they were camping in the woods. 

Brushes. Sunscreen, toothpaste. He grabbed a new bar of soap too, like, might as well, right? He shoved them into the reusable grocery bag. The less they had to buy later, the better. At least, so he told himself. 

He considered clothes, but, that did mean going through her drawers. Now that he didn’t have too, now that he already had her pills, it felt wrong just to be in her bathroom for any extra second. It was a little too easy- sure, he figured some of that had to do with her parents being rather nice people, but still. They were murderers. 

The walk back was long. Exhausting, really. He could feel the full night awake starting to drag on his shoulders, and he started to hunch over. The heat of the afternoon was bearing down- yeah. Afternoon. He spent so long trying not to run into the Yorkes, trying to get there and back and constantly on his feet that every moment went slower than the last. 

He wondered if he should stop and rest, but that wasn’t his style. He kept going forward for one reason alone- the sooner he was there, the sooner he could sleep. 

It was just a few steps, he said to himself. It was a few steps, and he’d be closer. It was a few steps, and he’d be out of downtown. It was a few steps, and he’d be in the forest. He almost sighed in relief when he saw the campsite-

Molly running at him interrupted that. “CHASE! CHASE, holy-“

“Chase?” Alex asked. “Where were you?”

“Molly,” Chase grounded out, half into the dirt. “You’re on my spline.” 

“You scared the crap out of me.”

“What’s going on?” Gert yelled. He could hear her voice shake as the others began to round up. Karolina and Nico stared in worry. “Oh my god.”

“I’m fine. I just went on a supply run.”

“A supply run,” Nico said. “You could've told us.” 

“I didn’t think it would take this long,” Chase climbed to his feet, Molly grabbed on his arm the whole way up. “Walking back is a lot longer than walking down, should have figured that one out.” 

“It’s the same distance,” Alex said. 

“Tell that to my feet.” 

“What’d you get?” Molly asked.

‘What do you think I got?” His cheek dimpled with a smile. Molly gasped and yanked on the bag.

“No way! You didn’t!” 

“Yup,” Chase began to shrug off his duster. He knew the trip would be worth it, but Molly's smiling face really helped. He sat down on the bed of the truck and yanked on his foot. Taking off the too tight sneakers felt fantastic, and he just kept smiling as Molly cooed. "I told you it would be fine."

"What is it?" NIco asked. "What's going on?"

"He got Gert's meds! Two whole bottles!"

"What?" Gert pushed her way in and grabbed a bottle. "How-? What?" 

"I may have cleaned out your bathroom." Chase said. "I promise, I didn't go snooping or anything, just... got a few things I thought we'd need." 

"You went to my house?" Gert stomped forward. HE jerked back, yanking himself a few inches away from her anger. "You idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot! You could have been caught! You could have been arrested! It's breaking and entering, what the hell were you thinking!"

"Hey," Chase insisted. "There was no breaking involved, your parents left your windows open. Both of your windows. Probably so you could come and get your pills." 

Gert stared, a small frown dipped her lips to the ground. She was about as confused as Chase had been relieved. Nico took the grocery bag from Molly and began to rummage through it. At least someone was happy. Those windows being open, that was a lifesaver, or at least it was an anxiety saved. She shook her head. "No. No, Dale and Stacy wouldn't do that. They know someone could come in."

"And that person was me," Chase nodded. "And I got your pills." 

"And toilet paper." Nico held up a roll. Karolina cooed. 

"You shouldn't have," Gert said. "Okay? You could have been-" 

"I should have." If his dad was here, he'd be standing up, asserting his height as a way to win. Chase didn't, only partly because his feet hurt. "You need your meds, hell we need you on your meds. You're smart- _normally._ But not when you're all freaking out, you're like a damn snickers commercial. You're not you off your meds."

"I'm still me," Gert started.

 

"Oh whatever, yeah, you're still you. But you're a better you when you're not shaking like a leaf. Okay? I get it, I don't know the way you want me to say it. I don't know the _right_ way. But it's not so bad that I want you less scared, is it? At least less scared of things you don't need to freak out over. If you had taken them this morning, I bet you'd be telling me how I should say it. I bet you'd be yelling at me for whatever I said wrong, and it sucks that you're not." 

Gert stared at the orange bottle in Molly's hands and didn't move. He wanted her to take it. Maybe not now, there was probably some way she was supposed to do it that he just didn't know. But she didn't. She didn't even move towards it. Molly turned to Chase. "It's okay, Chase. I bet she's probably like, worried about running out, now that we have some and don't have a doctor. But it's okay, right? Dale and Stacy stocked up, they got her extra. Maybe in two months, they'll have more again, and you can go back."

"He can't do that," Nico shook her head. 

"Why not?" 

"Gert's right, it's too dangerous," Alex said. "This time was a surprise but Dale and Stacy can probably count it out now. He came today, so in sixty days we'll be running low. But it does give us two months to make a plan."

"We'll have one," Karolina promised. She rested a hand on Gert's shoulder. The purple haired girl nodded and reached out for the bottle. "I promise." 

"Good one. Now, get some sleep," Alex said to Chase. "You look like a mess." 

"Yeah, whatever." Chase slid back into the truck. "Wake me up for food."


	6. The One With Nap Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long, I've recently lost my job and needed to figure some things out. But here's a continuation and I hope it takes off soon.

“Chase.”

Chase didn’t want to wake up. He felt like he had a night of both too much sleep and too little; there was a thick fog around his thoughts that left him feeling too hazy for critical thinking. Maybe the nap was a bad idea- it messed up his body clock and confused about everything. Not to mention that his feet were still killing him. And shit, no wonder. He only ever walked like that on a treadmill or elliptical, during a good cardio day. Then it was only three to five miles, too, and he had no clue how far he just walked to get to Gert’s and back. It was much more than five miles; he knew that.

“No.” He mumbled.

“No?”

“Y’know what I mean.” He shifted, his shoulders scooching around to get comfy. His hand was heavy on his stomach, it rose and fell with his breath.

 

“Don’t make a big deal out of this,” Gert said. He sighed- great. She was already chiding him. Chase had just woken up, and the purple haired girl was already on his ass and scolding him. “I just want to say, thanks.”

Chase opened up one eye. In the sleepy haze that had yet to fade, Chase could see her push up her glasses. “What?”

“What,” she defended. Her face was stiff- Chase couldn’t see any grimace or eye-rolling of annoyance, or a smirk of humor there. “I’m not gonna just ignore what you did.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t think you would,” Chase said. “I just thought we were sticking with the whole ‘I’m an idiot for trying.’ Not thanking me. I’m way more used to you telling me how dumb I am than you using manners.” 

“Being ladylike is just another invention of the patriarchy to control women’s voices,” Gert informed. “But… But I know you could have been caught. I know you know you could have been caught. And you did that for me, so you earned it.”

“Glad to know I earned a single word,” Chase teased. He sat up with a groan; his feet still ached like a mother. He rested back on his elbows, forearms pressing to the blanket below him that kept the chill of corrugated metal flooring at bay. “It’s fine. Really.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. My feet still hurt.”

“You know that taking off your shoes would probably help with that.” Gert raises an eyebrow at him. He should have taken off his shoes, sure. He only hadn’t because he was too damn exhausted to bend over and tug on his feet.

“What, no, really?” Chase asked. “I just wanted a nap. Or for it to be night already and I could sleep for real.”

“Oh, you were sleeping,” Gert said. “Molly has come in more than once to try and bother you.”

Chase raised his eyebrows at that. Molly had come to check on him? He supposed it made more sense than someone else doing it- Nico had proven several times by now she wouldn’t look twice to check on him, and Wilder, well, times were still tough between the two of them. Chase sighed, leaning his head back down. “She doesn’t need to worry about this. I need to catch up on some Z’s.” 

“You need to take your shoes off,” Gert said. 

“No, I should get up soon, maybe I’ll just tuck in early tonight. I don’t want to mess my whole sleep schedule up,” Chase said.

“Are you going to make up your mind? Ever?” Gert asked. 

“What,” Chase defended, “I want to catch up on sleep, but I don’t want to make myself stay up all night, either.” 

“You’ll be fine,” Gert snorted. “As long as you don’t do this again. Okay?”

Chase sat himself up, leaning against the walls of the van. He did it for her. The shaking, nail-biting, even Nico had commented on the stuttering. “I don’t regret it.”

“But I do.” Gert insisted, glaring at him through thick-rimmed glasses. “I mean, you shouldn’t have had to do this. Not that I regret… something else, I guess.”

“Gert, we all have something,” He promised, trying to ease her mind. 

“Oh, shut up,” She rolled her eyes. “People always say that. But I don’t see anyone else forcing the others to risk their neck over something. Over a little orange bottle. No, they’re all still here, they’re fine like nothing’s happened.”

“No one is fine,” Chase said, his face turning cold. “Karolina was a mess when this all started, she still is. She got kidnapped by her mom, do you think she’ll be able to explain that when we’re older? We’re all messed up, but you have parents who still love you enough to leave out your meds just in case you got home. And we want you to take them. You said it yourself, okay, if we’re your family now, it’s our job to help. So I did.”  
Gert pressed her lips to a thin line. “You don’t need to be a dick about it.”

Great. Now he was a dick. He tricked her for years to think he was her soulmate, now he was a dick, too. He shook his head and began to slide out of the van. “I’m gonna go. Wilder is probably plotting.”

“Fine,” she called after him. “It’s my turn for a nap anyway.” 

Chase had no clue what that meant. He didn’t think the others were taking turns. He winced in the sunlight, raising a hand up to cover it and give his eyes some shade. Sure enough, he could see Wilder and Nico muttering to each other, sitting by the small, pathetic fire pit. 

“You’re up,” Wilder pushed his glasses up his nose with his middle finger.

“Am I,” Chase said, taking one of the free logs to sit down. “What’s going on?”

“Just trying to make some plans,” Nico said. “Alex thinks we should keep moving. I’m not so sure.”

“Moving to where,” Chase asked. “I thought the whole point was to stop the Pride EarthQuake Death thing. And Pride is here.”

“I know its here,” Alex insisted. “But they know we’re here too, only we don’t have multi-billion dollar security. We need to get moving so they don’t catch up.”

“But there’s only so many places we can go, doesn’t that just mean we’ll run out of places faster?” Chase asked. 

“He has a point,” Nico said. 

“Okay, yes he has a point, but we can’t secure a public park,” Wilder insisted. “We’re out in the open, guys. We need somewhere that we can make safe. That starts with leaving here.”

Chase sighed. He could see Nico thinking, with her mesh-laced gloved hands crossing over her knees as she stared into the firepit. Her mouth was pursed, a firm gaze spinning thoughts around. “You’re not gonna drop it until we agree, are you?”

“Nope.”

“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Chase said. “Not forever, we have to leave at some point. Especially when it starts getting colder but that’s months away. We still have no idea what they were doing. We have no clue what we’re doing. What if we get lost?”

“Lost from what?” Wilder asked. “It’s not like we’re five and can’t find our way home.”  
“Yeah, we have no home.” Nico rolled her eyes. 

Chase shook his head. “I’m just saying. We’ve already run away. We don’t need to keep running. It’s a big forest, guys, we can keep going in deeper.” 

“He’s right about that. It’s a big forest, going in deeper is just the same as changing spots,” Nico said. 

“Fine,” Wilder said. “We’ll stay a few more days, but then we need a place that we can secure. Close doors, walls. Something we can make safe.”

Chase nodded, agreeing to that. He still called that bit a win. He wasn’t right a lot. He didn’t make the best call all the time; otherwise he would have stopped talking back to his dad when he was twelve, instead of never stopping at all. Maybe he didn’t really have a good spot in the group, especially after destroying their evidence, but at least he could be useful, for now.


	7. The One Where Alex Gets His Way

"We can't keep moving again," Molly crossed her arms. Her curls were stuck to the sides of her face under her hat, and the grumpy look set deep lines into her face.

Gert shrugged. "I don't know if it counts as moving. Cars are meant to move."

"Technically it's a van," Nico pointed out.

"Technically, it doesn't matter," Alex said. He was still on this stupid rant about moving, moving, moving. The conversation made Chase tired. "Okay? It's not safe to stay in one place."

"The irony," Karolina stared at nothing, eyebrows lifting just a bit. "How many times did our parents say to stay still when we were young to be safe?"

"Depends on how many times they lost us in Disney World," Nico said.

"Never went," Chase shrugged, "Not my dad's thing."

"It doesn't matter," Alex tapped his hands together. "Okay? It's the same reason, then that it's not safe now. The longer we're in one place, the easier that they can find us. We have a car, we should use it. We'll take the highway up and at least make it more difficult for them to pinpoint us."

"I thought you said we could stay still for a bit,' Chase asked. "Come on, we barely have money for gas, and that thing looks like a guzzler to me."

"That's where you come in, isn't it," Alex tapped his glasses up with his forefinger. "Right? Your dad mastered green energy, surely he told you something-"

"Shut up." Chase glared.

"Okay," Gert pulled herself off her stump and rested her hand firm against Alex's shoulder. For a short second, it seemed she'd do the same to his arm. Chase's narrowed gaze stopped her short. "We all have something to offer here, right? Alex's just happens to be-"

"Making plans?" Chase offered. "Maybe someone else has a plan."

"One that's not something a dumb jock would say."

Chase glared.

"Look," Nico finally stepped forward. "We stayed for a bit, and that's okay. Everyone agreed to stay for a bit was fine, but there's nothing wrong with moving. Maybe we'll sleep a little easier after a night on the road. Feel a little better about things."

Chase shifted on his feet. "That's something that I can get behind."

"We can't keep moving again," Molly crossed her arms. Her curls were stuck to the sides of her face under her hat, and the grumpy look set deep lines into her face.

Gert shrugged. "I don't know if it counts as moving. Cars are meant to move."

"Technically it's a van," Nico pointed out.

"Technically, it doesn't matter," Alex said. He was still on this stupid rant about moving, moving, moving. The conversation made Chase tired. "Okay? It's not safe to stay in one place."

"The irony," Karolina stared at nothing, eyebrows lifting just a bit. "How many times did our parents say to stay still when we were young to be safe?"

"Depends on how many times they lost us in Disney World," Nico said.

"Never went," Chase shrugged, "Not my dad's thing."

"It doesn't matter," Alex tapped his hands together. "Okay? It's the same reason, then that it's not safe now. The longer we're in one place, the easier that they can find us. We have a car, we should use it. We'll take the highway up and at least make it more difficult for them to pinpoint us."

"I thought you said we could stay still for a bit,' Chase asked. "Come on, we barely have money for gas, and that thing looks like a guzzler to me."

"That's where you come in, isn't it," Alex tapped his glasses up with his forefinger. "Right? Your dad mastered green energy, surely he told you something-"

"Shut up." Chase glared.

"Okay," Gert pulled herself off her stump and rested her hand firm against Alex's shoulder. For a short second, it seemed she'd do the same to his arm. Chase's narrowed gaze stopped her short. "We all have something to offer here, right? Alex's just happens to be-"

"Making plans?" Chase offered. "Maybe someone else has a plan."

"One that's not something a dumb jock would say."

Chase glared.

"Look," Nico finally stepped forward. "We stayed for a bit, and that's okay. Everyone agreed to stay for a bit was fine, but there's nothing wrong with moving. Maybe we'll sleep a little easier after a night on the road. Feel a little better about things."

Chase shifted on his feet. "That's something that I can get behind."

  
  


The back of the van was a little more squished now. From their time building up supplies, they had less room for them, for feet and arms and egos. Alex of all people offered to drive first, and the other's let him. After all.

"Hey, Chase," Molly said. His lap was filled with her tennis shoes, which was a little more disturbing than it could have been if they had been her shoes first and not from the thrift store. Who knew how many soles were filling his nose right now?

"What?" He asked, leaning back against the metal frame.

"If we're on the road all the time, doesn't that mean we won't have, like, a headquarters?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on," Molly nudged his abdomen. He winced, though thankful for her light touch, he hadn't seen it coming. "A headquarters. An us space. Somewhere, you know..."

"No, you lost me. Somewhere what?"

"A home place," Molly said again. Chase sighed. "Somewhere a soulmate can find you. I'm fourteen, I didn't think it'd be off the table already. Running away from home was a big part in that plan."

"Molly," He lifted her feet and adjusted them, trying to get a bit more comfortable. "I don't think it's off the table now."

"Of course it is." Molly insisted. "How am I supposed to get anyone to show me their mark when I look like a dirty mess?"

"You don't look like a dirty mess," He promised. "You look like a lost lamb."

"Okay, for now," Molly grinned. Gert shifted, either pretending to be asleep for the sake of their "privacy," or she was conked out hard. "But how long is that going to last?"

"I'm not looking that far ahead," Chase shook his head. "But just because we're moving a lot doesn't mean it won't happen for you.

She sighed, resting her shoulders back. The concerned look in her eyes was off- he had never known her to care about this stuff. Maybe he just always saw her as too young to care.

"Is it... bothering you a lot?" Chase asked. "Like, actually."

"No, " Molly admitted. "But it's nice to think about something different once in a while, you know what I mean? Like, I'm pretty sure our parents destroying the world worries me a lot more. But worrying about that all the time will drive me insane. I guess thinking about something new that everyone else worries about is like a break. It's that safety net I used to think that I had, you know? Of course, it would happen sometime. Of course, it would work out for you and Gert. Of course, you'd be my brother, and she'd be my sister still, and everything would be fine, in that weird someday kind of way. That kind of eventual thing."

Chase shrugged an arm out. It was another daydream he'd ruined. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay. It's not a problem, it's not." Molly promised. "But I just thought you two would be there, too. In the future, that the whole family thing wasn't going to go away. Even if Dale and Stacy stopped being Dale and Stacy, or they sent me away, then you and Gert would still be my family."

"Things change," Chase said. "Sometimes that happens."

"But not everything all at once," Molly said. "Okay, so this time everything changed. Even the clothes and the bed, and all the small details, everything is gone. It's just weird that everything I thought would happen is suddenly not happening anymore. Sure, I don't want a soulmate now, or even like, anytime soon. We got way more to deal with. It's just a nice distraction-worry, you know? A distraction-worry."

"Hey, guys?"

Molly grimaced when Nico interrupted.

"Look, this is very heartwarming, and all, and I wish I could keep pretending that you're alone, but someone's following us."

Chase pushed himself forward, trying to crawl over Karolina without squishing her somewhere tender, to get to a window.

"What are you talking about?" Alex said, not turning his eyes away from the road.

"Do you not pay any attention?" Nico accused. "That car has been behind us for the past too-many turns."

"Who's driving it?" Karolina grunted, and she tried to un-spaghetti herself from Gert's limbs.

"I don't know," Chase squinted as he tried to see in Nico's passenger mirror. "Their front windshield is tinted."

"Isn't that illegal?" Gert asked. Okay- she'd been fake sleeping. Duly noted.

"Yeah, but the fine is only a few hundred dollars." Chase shrugged that off. "Does anyone here have parents who have a Lincoln?"

"Doesn't your dad?"

"Mine," Nico and Karolina's voices blended. Great. So helpful.

"A silver one," Chase said. "No, my dad drives his own brand. Besides, he's... out right now."

"It could be anyone," Karolina said. "It's just a car, right, lots of people might have it."

"Okay, it's better safe than sorry, right," Nico insisted. "Step on it, Alex."

Chase reached up to grab on the oh-shit bar. This sucked.


	8. The One Where They Ran

Chase ran. Cardio was a lot more enjoyable when it wasn't running and hoping not to die. Alex sucked as a getaway driver- sure, Chase valued his skills when it came to not dying in a violent car crash, but shit their options were limited. They could still die - hell, they might and with them, who would stand up against their parents? Not the police. Not the world, who still saw them all as heroes with PRIDE setting up schools for the less fortunate and whatever.

  
Chase pressed his back to a tree, trying to catch his breath. Nico had forced them to pull over, yanking the steering wheel and hoping it would give them a chance to force in some distance. Look where that had gotten them. He had no idea where everyone had gone. Nico. Gert. Molly, oh shit, where was Molly? Chase peaked around the tree, hoping he could see a flash of pink or dark curly hair.

  
Voices. Too many, and too old and gravely to give him any kind of comfort. Chase tried to ignore what they were saying, in profound hope that maybe, just maybe ignoring them would make them go away.

  
Idiot. He was such an idiot. Chase curled around his hidey-tree, clinging to the idea he could remain hidden, while searching for Molly. Or Karolina. Or anyone. How long had it been? Today felt so long, from the moment they got in the car, and how long it had taken for Nico to notice someone was following them, to the chase on the road. To Nico nearly crashing them while she tried to turn them around, to his shoes stuck in the mud and running, running, running.

  
Molly was nowhere to be seen. Okay- okay, he had to remind himself. Molly would be okay. Right? It's not like she was incapable. They had watched her hoist an eighteen wheeler. She could defend herself. Gert was probably with her; he couldn't imagine a world where Gert would allow herself to be separated -

Then again, no one said she was _allowed._ Chase toed his way through the roots, hoping he could make it past the adults. Mr. and Mrs. Wilder, for once dressed out of their suits and pantyhose, grumbling about the circumstances. Sure, Mrs. Wilder didn't have the staff-thingy, but he had no doubt that he would be utterly screwed if they caught him. There was more movement, just around the bend, and a flash of bright color gave him hope. He took a deep breath, as if for some reason it was his breath they could hear, and not every dead leaf that crunched under his boots as he crawled.

"Karolina?" Chase whispered, hoping he was a far enough distance away. "Karolina?"

"Chase!"

Okay, so not Karolina. The bright yellow had just been Alex Wilder's tee shirt. Still, it was better than nothing. As much as Chase hated to admit it, Alex was the planner. He found the creepy dungeon, the van, everything. Maybe he'd find a way to get them all back together, too. Chase wriggled himself underbrush, to where Alex had holed himself up in a ditch.

"Have you found anyone else?" Chase asked. He sat on one knee, the other foot placed down and ready to launch into a run if he needed, a perfect runner's starting pose. He wished Alex knew to take it, too, but now wasn't the time to criticize posture. He looked over his shoulder.

"For a moment," Alex got his attention back. "But you're the only one I really saw, you know?"

"Man, we're so screwed," Chase said. "I thought we'd last longer, you know?"

"It's okay," Alex said. Chase grimaced when the other teen reached forward like he wanted to put his hand on Chase's shoulder, the weirdo. "It is. Okay, we're going to regroup and then. I don't know, we can make a plan for other times we get separated."

"A plan?"

"Yeah. Like a meetup spot."

"That's not a big help now, Wilder," Chase said. He could feel himself, he knew that he was being too harsh, but he was freaking out. HIs heart was leaping and thumping like footsteps, too loud in his own ears.

"No, but we'll get through it. We got through the ritual, right, this has to be one-tenth as bad as that."

Chase could only shake his head. A fraction didn't suit his mindset. He wanted to think in full words, not numbers. He wanted to think in promises that things would be okay, but this was no nightlight situation. He started to look up, trying to scan the area for neon green or blots of black.

"Hey, look it will be okay."

"How is this going to be okay?" Chase hissed.

"Somehow," Alex said. Chase saw the other teen's eyes flick up, and a moment of mild confusion twitched in his chest before it melted into a full-on freak-out.

Chase had heard that chloroform smelled natural, like dirt or something, and tasted sweet. He could only feel a heavy weight pressing the ether-like cloth to his mouth and nose, and Chase yanked, warping his hands to thick arms that held him down. A solid weight pinned around his waist, making his kicks fly to nothing.

"Hey, Chase, it's okay," Someone promised in his ear. "Calm down, it's okay."

Mr. Wilder, he realized a moment too late. It explained why Alex was frozen. Chase froze too whenever the idea of facing off against his dad became a reality. Fighting your dad was easier said than done. Too bad for Chase, it was getting harder and harder to hold his breath. He tried to pull again, a pathetic muffled yelp died under the handkerchief. The familiar feeling of losing his ability to think, his conscious mind, reflected in his vision as the edge began to darken. Was he making it up, or was someone really screaming his name? Did it matter? Alex just stared at Chase as he gave in, and breathed in bittersweet chemical and dust, the chloroform pressing tight to his mouth as nothing fresh breathed in. His body sagged; maybe he should have given up a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry these chapters have been short- the next one should jump back to a good length and quality. I'm just really bad at the whole action bit and never know what to say.


	9. Chapter 9

Chase exhaled. He was floating, something cloudlike and so different from the corrugated van he'd been sleeping on for so many days. Something gentle stroked his hairline, that comforting scratch of a caring touch playing in his hair lulled him in his sleep. He hadn't slept this well in a long time. There had been a terrifying bout of sleepless nights after they witnessed the murder, and the struggle to sleep knowing what was hidden in the wall of his garage. He was alive, just by luck, in the home of two serial killers, and no, he didn't sleep well. Then they ran, and the cold, hard surface of the van did nothing for his circadian rhythm. He'd like to keep sleeping. He felt good, floaty and nice and dreamless, but it was too bright; he winced, it was just a bit annoying and irritating. 

 

"Chase?" 

He worked his jaw, displeasure growing. It was so rude to wake him up- if that was Gert, she should know better. He knew precisely how shittily she slept, and she knew he never dared to wake anyone up. He wanted to keep sleeping, he hadn't had a pillow in way too long. Chase wanted to appreciate it while he could. 

There were no pillows in the van. Why did it take so long for him to realize he had a pillow? It explained the whole 'comfy' thing.... the van didn't have pillows. 

"Chase, sweetie, will you wake up?"

He knew that timid voice. He lifted a hand and ran it over his eyes, trying to pinch out the sleep. "Mom?" 

"I'm here, baby," She promised.

Chase sat up, pressing his hands to a soft white mattress. Everything was white, or slightly golden and gaudily regal. A white t-shirt clung to his shoulders, disappearing under heavy white blankets. Soft. Cotton. He rubbed his wrist under his nose, sniffing as worry started to cling to his chest. 

"Mom," he said again. Janet Stein smiled at him and picked up his hand. It didn't help- he appreciated how she was trying, but once he was awake, he was sure that he'd freak out. This was where they found Karolina. This was it. 

"It's okay, everything's okay," She promised. Janet stood, leaving her chair to sit on his bed. He sat up, pulling his feet out of the way. Pajama bottoms, they were just as white and ironed stiff. These weren't his clothes, at least not the ones they bought at the cruddy exchange store. Did she dress him? "Baby, I was so worried about you. We were worried about all of you." 

"You didn't have to," Chase said. "We left for a reason."

"There's a lot to explain," Janet insisted. "There's a lot we can't tell you."

"Well, you better."

"Or what?" Janet asked. Chase fell silent for a moment. _Or nothing,_ he realized. Chase couldn't do anything from here- he doubted he could even try. It was his mom, after all, and all the same, he knew she'd never open the door for him. It's not like she ever had before. 

It's not like the others would come for him. He had said before if it happened to him, he'd want them to leave him behind, and Nico had been so quick to announce they would. He didn't blame her- it's not like any of them were actually friends. It just hurt, and now in the moment, the very situation he'd been so quick to judge before, he was more scared than he cared to admit. What if they really didn't come for him?

Would he be killed? Here in some Space Odyssey White room?

"Why am I here?" Chase asked. "This is Mrs. Dean's church, right? We got Karolina out of here before-"

"And we've fixed the door since," Janet said. She reached out, tapping his nose with a motherly finger. "You're lucky you're not grounded."

"This is a bit more than a grounding mom," Chase insisted. He gestured to the door, the heavy metal frame was daunting enough, and that didn't bring to question how the key card beeped red. He had no doubt there'd be more security on the other side- even if he managed to hack his way through that. And what if this was a different room? What if it wasn't the Dean's church, and he had no real clue where he was? It couldn't be that hard to paint a room white. "What's going on?"

"We need you to fix something," Janet said. Cold started to race up Chase's spine, it twisted in his stomach with a bitter, bitter worry, and he started to shake his head. He just woke up- how could his head and heart be racing already? No. No. "A box. Actually, we need you to copy it. It's something your father made, and I know-"

"Wh-? No. No! I can't!" Chase scrambled, words failing from his mouth and falling all the same. He couldn't say it enough. He couldn't ever think about it. He couldn't stomach it. Chase wanted to gag at the thought, but then what if she tried to comfort him through that very sickness? The idea just made him all the more nauseated. 

"We're not asking you to invent something," Janet reached out, trying to soothe him with a cooing voice. Chase babbled, the soft no's still trembling out as he cupped his hands by his chest. How did he get to begging her so quickly? How could he fall that hard? "I know that's still beyond you. But it's okay! We have the notes and even one for you to copy. Just look it over, and from there you can make a new one."

"Mom- dad's box?" Chase whispered. "That- that _thing?_ That thing we saw you - no!"

"I know you can do it," Janet insisted. 

"Bullshit! You do it!" Chase snapped. He tugged his arms back out of her reach, his thoughts were still racing. She went to the same school his dad did, right? If it was so easy, then there couldn't be a problem.

"Sweetie, you know what I mean. You're young, but you have the same genius he did," Janet said. Her tone was scolding, and the child in him shuddered at the innate threat she had always linked with that same voice. _Do as I say, or we'll get your father involved._ "Just think of it like baking. I haven't touched an oven in years, but you have, and we'll give you a recipe to use and a cake to copy. You just need to study for a bit. You had more recent practice, the rest of us only need you to get it done. Make it, and it will all be over."

"I _can't,"_ Chase begged again. He could have a million notebooks, and unlimited time, none of that mattered. She just didn't get it- that box shouldn't be easy. Nothing about it should be easy, not when he knew full well what it did. He knew that the girl had gone into it, and only came out lifeless on the beach. Nothing should ever be easy about ending a life. "Please, stop it, I won't do it. That box is awful!"

"Chase," Janet pressed the palm of her hand to his cheek. He bit his lips as worry bubbled up throat in anxious noises. He barely knew what the box did, but he was so sure that he didn't want to. If he knew, then it would be his fault, and he knew it would just get worse. "That box is going to help your father. I know you want to help him."

"No, no, mom," Chase insisted. Maybe her ears were as cold as Destiny Gonzolas. "I saw it. I saw her go into the box, the girl who died, you did it. I can't-"

"Chase, a lot is going on that you don't understand." Janet insisted again. "But that machine is going to save your father's life. He'll die if you don't."

"Mom-" Chase whispered. He was being a baby now, crying and blubbering over a few words, but he couldn't help it now. He looked down, her hand still cupping his cheek as he tried to hide the watermarks. Her thumb stroked over his cheekbone, something that had comforted him so long ago. Now it just mocked him, for his immaturity and weakness. He should break out like Molly could. Or even Nico with her staff. 

He was supposed to be the man, something his dad would be proud of but no. He couldn't shake the guilt. If he made another box, it would all be on him. He'd be actively murdering someone, some high school runaway who just wanted a chance, and he'd kill them. Or he could kill his dad.

"I'll tell them you're awake," Janet said. "We'll bring your father's notes in, and we can go from there. That's not so bad, right? Just tell us what the materials are, and then we can have lunch. Won't that be nice? I can bring you the pancakes you like for your birthdays. We can talk, it will be like it used to. Just look over the notes."

"Mom," Chase tried again. 

"Everythings okay," Janet insisted. She leaned forward, pressing a caring kiss to his forehead as she stood from the bed. Her stiff periwinkle sweater itched his nose, and he could smell her lotion. Blackberry vanilla, his father hated it. He could have sworn she'd thrown out the jar after he had so wildly announced the diagnosis. Maybe now she was dying, she had used it to taunt his corpse. Chase couldn't bear that idea, he wasn't even sure if he was breathing right. He could only manage small gasps, his tired mind not quite able to reach through the anxiety to the air in the too bright room.

"No, it's not," Chase insisted. He could imagine Karolina now in her pastel dress, too sure that nothing would be okay. People were dying, and his parents were just waiting for more to drop. "It's really, really not. Please, don't ask me to do this."

"Everything will be," Janet said again. "We'll wake your father up, and we'll be a happy family again. That's what you wanted, right? It's what you said you wanted. You still love him, he's your father. So let's get him back." 

"Mom," Chase begged. She stepped closer, knees touching the edge of the bed as she hugged him. Her lotion filled his space, and Chase let the lining of his inner arm glide around her, hugging too close and too sad. He was being stupid, thinking a few pleases would get him his way. Things hadn't gone his way in so long, and a delay was all he could even think to ask for. 

It's not like Nico would save his ass now. Chase dropped back to the headboard of the bed, the soft covered surface holding him upright. Janet looked on, too peaceful for him to tolerate looking at. 

"Just look over the notes," Janet said. He looked up at her, eyes wet and broken as she went to the door. "That's all. Okay? We'll just go over your father's notes. You don't need to think about anything else."

"Mom," He whispered again, but Janet was locking the door behind her. He sat up, watching the key card blink for a spare few short seconds, until it locked heavily into place, announcing the weighted deadbolt inside. 

"Shit," He whispered to himself. He'd never been good with words, and now he hated that all the more. He slid his legs from under the covers, his feet were bare under the starched white pajama bottoms. He didn't even have his own clothes. He didn't have his own socks. He had nothing, no notes of his own to make a plan. 

Nico's words reigned in his head- Chase had no one to rely on either. The key card mocked him, reminding him of a fatal flaw in his own emotions. Even if he ran, it would be the same as killing his dad. He coughed, pressing a hand over his mouth as he fought the urge to be sick. Maybe the stress would be too much, and he'd just split apart before he had to decide. Just splat. Gone. No Chase to kill anyone. 

That would still be killing his dad, wouldn't it? He choked on his tongue. Maybe all he could truly wonder about was how much time he had left.


End file.
